Diageo Sips on Savings by Reducing Carbon Footprint 95 Percent

TORONTO (PRNewswire) — Diageo announced today that it has expanded its commitment to purchase green natural gas in Canada, making it the largest supporter of green natural gas in the country through Bullfrog Power, Canada's leading green energy provider. As a result of a new agreement, the world's leading spirits, wine, and beer company has extended its existing commitment to purchase green natural gas for its Gimli, Manitoba facility and bolstered its commitment by purchasing green natural gas for its Valleyfield, Quebec location. Both facilities are committed through 2016.

Diageo began purchasing green natural gas from Bullfrog Power for its Gimli facility in 2013. The Gimli site is Diageo North America's largest distillery and the home of Canada's iconic Crown Royal Whiskey. The Valleyfield site distills and bottles a range of other Diageo brands. Purchasing green natural gas for these facilities will reduce the sites' carbon footprints by a remarkable amount ‒ more than 95 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

Since 2007, Diageo North America has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 75 percent, despite a significant increase in production volumes. This achievement is well ahead of the 50 percent reduction target that was set by the company for 2015.

"At Diageo, we recognize that operating sustainably is fundamental to the future of our business and integral to our growth, and we have truly ambitious aspirations for reducing carbon emissions and waste, and improving water stewardship," said Paul Gallagher, President, Supply, Diageo North America. "This decision to expand our commitment to green natural gas will further reduce Diageo's greenhouse gas emissions."

Through these agreements, Bullfrog Power's producers will inject 100 percent green natural gas onto the Canadian natural gas pipeline system to match the amount of natural gas that Diageo's Gimli and Valleyfield sites use. Sourced from a unique, ground-breaking methane-capture project situated on one of Canada's thousands of landfill sites, Bullfrog Power's green natural gas is a climate-friendly alternative to conventional natural gas. Through this innovative technology, biogas is captured, cleaned up, and injected onto the national natural gas pipeline, displacing fossil fuel-based gas and reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

"As Canada's largest purchaser of green natural gas with Bullfrog Power, Diageo continues to prove itself as a sustainability leader," said Peter Melanson, CEO, Bullfrog Power. "By bullfrogpowering its Gimli and Valleyfield facilities with green natural gas, Diageo is reducing its environmental impact and supporting the development of new renewable energy facilities across Canada."

Diageo is recognized as a global leader in environmental sustainability. Globally, Diageo was the top beverage company in 2013 in the Carbon Disclosure Project, and scored highly in the FTSE4GOOD (top food and beverage company) and Dow Jones Sustainability indices. As Diageo's largest region by volume and value, with a significant manufacturing footprint, Diageo North America is a significant contributor to this result. In 2013, Diageo North America became a signatory of the Climate Declaration, which brings together companies and individuals to demonstrate support for a national strategy to tackle climate change. For more details about Diageo's global sustainability efforts, view the company's 2013 Sustainability & Responsibility Report.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.